Baby onesies, a snow suit, other warm clothes, diapers, a box for a new baby to sleep in, bedding, a book, and on and on … Those are a few of the 50 items every new mum in Finland finds in their Finnish Baby Box.
The Finnish Baby Box began more than 75 years ago. Originally available only to families with low incomes, now all expectant mothers can receive the package if they register for a maternal and child health program. The Finnish Government funds the project with the goal of giving all children in Finland an equal start in life.
In Canada, Alberta picked up on the idea and is pilot testing a program called Welcome to Parenthood Alberta. In this program, mums not only get a baby box, they’re teamed up with a mentor who contacts the new parents regularly to see how things are going and to help them access resources that are available to them.
Parents who have been part of the program in Finland and now in Alberta heartily endorse the program. It sends a message that “every child matters,” says one participant.
A version of the baby box is now available for sale worldwide. One of our NWT Literacy Council Board members had seen the baby boxes in Finland and bought one for her new baby. She raves about it. “The NWT should definitely start a program like this,” she says. “I’ve used every item in the box. They’re all so useful.”
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, the Department of Health and Social Services, the NWT Literacy Council and other groups give away items like iPads, nutritional materials, books, baby bags, etc. How about we combine our efforts to create the NWT Welcome to Parenthood Box and give every child here an equal start to life?
For more information on baby boxes see http://www.kela.fi/web/en/maternitypackage and http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22751415.
For information on the Alberta program see http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/finnish-baby-boxes-maternal-family-health-study-alberta-1.3394637.
-- Helen Balanoff
